Football: Sunday practice update

As I reported in an earlier post, Jeff Tedford said today that the quarterback position will be competitive this week and didn’t name a starter for Saturday’s game against Washington State.

Here are some of Tedford’s comments this afternoon regarding the quarterback situation:

“We need to improve. He needs to be more consistent. He plays real well at times and other times he lets the ball get away. Really, consistency is the key.”

“He’s making the right reads. Now it’s a matter of being accurate with the ball. He’s seeing the coverages. It’s just some of the timing and some of the accuracy we need to improve on.”

On Maynard’s mental state after Saturday’s game: “It bothers him because he cares. He’s a competitor. He wants us to be successful. He’s a big part of it because he has the ball in his hands. He cares. My take on it is he still is confident and wants to work hard to be the best player he can be.”

On whether Maynard should be more consistent by now: “We’d like him to be more consistent than he was (Saturday). He played great against Utah. There’s no doubt the learning curve needs to improve.”

On Maynard’s performances against USC and UCLA: “The interceptions yesterday were totally different than the USC interceptions. He forced those into coverage (against USC). These were tipped balls or balls just a little bit high and safeties sitting back there cherry-picking them. The SC thing was him trying too hard. That improved, and then yesterday was a couple errant throws.”:

On how Bridgford has looked in practice this season: “He’s looked fine. We have confidence in Allan. That will be a competitive thing to make sure the competition stays strong there. He prepares really well and we have confidence in him.”

Bridgford, meanwhile, said Tedford hadn’t talked to the quarterbacks Sunday so he didn’t know the situation yet in terms of how many reps he will receive this week, etc. But there’s no question he is excited to possibly compete for the starting job against the Cougars.

“I think it would be awesome,” he said. “I’m going to do whatever is asked of me, of course. It’s up to the coaches. I”m just going to work hard and do my thing.

“It gets your blood going, that’s for sure. It would be super exciting and I’m ready for it. I’m going to do whatever the coaches ask me. I’m just ready to have fun out there.”

Even though Bridgford only gets about one-third of the practice reps and has yet to play in a meaningful situation, he seems confident if and when he gets the chance.

“I feel like I’d be ready to play in a game, no matter what,” Bridgford said. “I know the playbook inside and out.”

Center Dominic Galas gave the obligatory politically correct, but also seemingly sincere, response to a possible quarterback competition.

“Whoever is back there I trust completely,” Galas said. “I have 100 percent confidence in Zach and I have 100 percent confidence in anyone else. Everybody is busting their (butts) every day out here, getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning. I have 100 percent belief and trust in Zach and anyone on the team, for that matter.”

A few other nuggets today:

Tedford said it was a very quiet bus and plane ride back home Saturday night. “The team was very quiet last night after the game, which is actually a good thing. It means they care. It means they’re bothered by the loss. You could hear a pin drop on the bus and the plane. These guys are invested and they care about what’s going on. I think they’ll be dedicated to come out and have a really good week of practice and try to correct some of the areas we need to improve and be ready to play a tough game.”

Tedford said he thought about if anything need to change in the team’s practice habits. “I think we’re fine with practice. I looked at it to see. There’s nothing wrong with the way we practice. We just need to make sure that we focus on practicing fast and we’re concentrating on each drill and we’re doing everything we can to improve every single day.”

I asked Tedford if the defense took an emotional hit since linebacker Mychal Kendricks was suspended for the first quarter. But he said the team was prepared for it since Rob Mullins took most of the reps all week. “I didn’t want it to be a distraction and talk to the team about it. I don’t think they thought about that much.”

When asked to summarize his strengths as a quarterback, Bridgford said: “I feel like I can make all the throws; smart; I feel like I can lead an offense up and down the field. I’m not the kind of guy who is going to lose a game for you. I can make some throws that will keep the chains moving. Most of all, it’s just understanding everything and having a feel for the game.”

Jonathan Okanes

Jonathan Okanes is in his fourth year covering Cal's football team. Previously, he covered Cal's men's basketball team for four years. He can also be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/OkanesonCal.

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Kent, that’s incredible. Do you work for a stat company or are you just that resourceful? Reading it gave me kind of a yucky feeling. The one I’ve had for far too long. I can say this, he’s been great at beating Stanfurd, and had a stretch of abut 6 years in a row where we did. When I went to Cal, we lost every single one. That used to be all that matters, and maybe that’s why some people still aren’t up in arms. He did bring us back to relevance, which, if we don’t allow to slip away, I’ll be eternally grateful for. He also helped us get this stadium done. He did a LOT of work toward that. no matter how this season turns out, i would like him to have a year at the new place. personally, i think he’s just burned out, and has been since 2007. i think oregon state put him over the edge, and probably took a few years off his life, but i still think, if he want it, he should coach one more year at memorial. he’s classy. he’s conservative. and he’s stubborn. he is all of those things, and it’s annoying as heck, but he turned this ship around and it’s not going to sink after next year. i think he may even retire on his own next year, especially if they have a good year. he wants a rose bowl badly, too. hopefully he’ll be more introspective, and reflective this off season.

one thing i don’t think we need is for him to be AD. i was thinking it would be a great idea at first, but think of how many annoying questions you have to respond to as AD. i think it would just drive him nuts. plus, i don’t want him in charge of hiring the HC. we’ve seen the merry-go-round staff we’ve had here over the years. bad idea, in my opinion. i like sandy, even though she royally screwed up the baseball thing. i admire her tenacity. and she has shown a commitment to the major programs. i trust she’ll find a great replacement for JT, just like she found one for Braun. My only concern is that she allows us to be better, but not great, for 4 more years. That will be painful, but I don’t pay JT’s salary, rich old blues do, and if that’s really what they want, I think we have to put up with it.

Finally, if we go 6-6, even though we’re technically eligible, i don’t think we automatically get a bid. at 7-5, we do. i think we’ll end up 6-6. if we play stanfurd and az state tough, we might get a bid at 6-6, and i’d be ok with that anyway. the kids deserve it.

MoreNCsarecoming

ve W Says:
October 31st, 2011 at 5:51 pm
And I think you made up that crap about the twitter.
____________________________________________________

@CjAndersonRB9C.J. Anderson

@DavidERod I feel you but if u knew the inside up here and the politics ull see y we be losing

rollonubears

From the bear insider

gmxbear says…
I’ve been at EVERY practice this year going back to the spring… and to say the practices have been less inspiring every single day would be an understatement.
In those practices, in how many of them would you say that Maynard has outplayed Bridgford (on a percentage basis)?

CubanPete says…
In those practices, in how many of them would you say that Maynard has outplayed Bridgford (on a percentage basis)?

gmxbear says…
0%.

Even on the day Bridgford didn’t play well… it was better than Maynard.

Actually, I’ve never seen Maynard have a really good practice.

You should see the demeanor of the players after they run the ones…

Its like they are just going through the motions and seem demoralized

manus

It is obvious that the Cal fan base in unraveling. If “the product” does “not show up” this Saturday at AT&T, it’s gonna get really vocally nasty in the stand

MoreNCsarecoming

If “the product” does “not show up” this Saturday at AT&T, it’s gonna get really vocally nasty in the stand

________________________________________________

Are you sure the butts in the stands will show up? That’s the biggest “if” of them all.

Now one of other WRs is bashing your fan base. This program has become a joke.

eric

Kent – thank you thank you thank you. I;ve been with you since 2008, when everyone said we were nuts, but who can argue with the results.

I asked whether this latest loss is the most embarrassing in the Tedfor era. To me, it clear makes the Top 5 given where UCLA was and how important a win was to this team, but there are so many embarrassing losses now that one loses track. Would be interesting to see that list. I think the first one (chronology-wise) is the 2004 Holiday Bowl.

I have just heard the news that you are out. I have a lot of respect for you as a journalist. Leaving this team in flames is the best thing that could have happened to you. What good is there in folowing a team when the coach refuses to open practises except for windsprints.

Calbearclaw…I think your re-creation of Zach and Keenan conversations is just rude and mean spirited…I personally don’t think it has a place on this board.

I actually don’t think Zach Maynard is a bust…certainly his game has serious flaws…but most QBs have weaknesses. As a fan, I have seen a significant diffeence in Maynards accuracy when he is throwing on the move vs. standing in the pocket. One would think the coaches have noticed this trend as well…and a logical outcome, would be to call more plays with Zach rolling out to make a pass. We seemed to see this during the Utah game…but that game plan disappeared against UCLA. Aren’t the coaches job is the put the players in the best position to succeed? I don’t see Tedford doing that. In fact, I have never seen him do that.

calbearclaw

Kent –

I wish I could take credit for the vids but I can’t. A Buffalo University football blogger posted them MORE THAN ONE YEAR AGO as Maynard shopped himself around. I think they provide an interesting insight into the arrangement JT succumbed to in order to land KA.

rollonubears

makes you wonder if jt told ka straight up that his brother would start every game if he came here.

Kent Wilson

Here are the 5 worst losses under Tedford…I make these selections based on perceived “program reputation destruction” on a national level:

1. 2006 Tennessee 35 Cal 18

This game was the opening weekend of the 2006 NCAA season, game was on national TV during the east coast prime time slot (7pm start time, I believe). This game was also about conference pride…SEC brawn vs the “soft” Pac-10. Cal was a top 10 ranked team and was a 3pt favorite despite playing at Knoxville. Tennessee was coming off a poor year the prior season and Vol fans were calling for head coach Phillip Fulmers head. First play of the game…Tennesse knocks out Cal’s TE (Craig Stevens) which foreshadowed what would happen in the game. Cal played soft and Tennesse just “out muscled and out hit” the more talented Cal team. Cal scored a bunch of points late in the game to make the final score semi-respectable…but most of the nation had already turned the channel….final impression. Cal was a fraud.

2. 2004 Holiday Bowl Texas Tech 45 Cal 31

Cal was robbed of the opportunity to play in its first BCS Bowl game by Texas and the national media was emphathetic to the Cal situation. Many viewers had never seen Cal play and wanted to see if the 4th ranked team in the country was for real. Cal featured a balanced offensive attack with Aaron Rodgers at QB and the nations leading rusher JJ Arrington who ran for over 2,000 yds. (Still don’t understand why he did not get much Heisman hype) Cal played the game without 3 or its top 4 WRs due to injuries. As the game started it became clear that Cal could not stop the long passing game of Tech, but Tech could not stop the running game of Cal. Cal jumps to a 14-0 lead, primarily through its strong running game. Tech answered back with long passing plays and tied the game at 14. So what did Tedford do…he focuses on the passing game…by calling 42 pass plays instead of relying on the ball controlling running game. The little used WRs were not in sync with Rodgers and dropped a bunch of balls, which allowed more possessions for Tech. Mike Leach called a full air attack on the overwhelmed Cal secondary and racked up over 500 yards in the air. Even the announcers were puzzled at Tedford’s decision to pass the ball instead of running down Tech’s throat. Net impression…Cal was out-coached and was over-rated. To add insult to injury, Texas defeated Michigan in one of the greatest games ever played at the Rose Bowl.

3. 2008 Maryland 35 Cal 27
Cal had won its first two games in convincing fashion (Michigan St. and WSU). Meanwhile, Maryland had just lost to Middle Tenneesee St. Cal came in a 14 pt favorite. Jahvid Best was an eary Heisman candidate. In the first qtr, Maryland hits Jahvid Best so hard it forced Best to lose his lunch…which was caught by the close up cameras during the ESPN telecast. This play became the highlight on SportsCenter and symbolized the state of Cal and Pac-10 football. Cal got blitzed and fell behind 28-6…although a 4th qtr flurry made the final score respectable…but lasting impression had already been branded.

4. 2009 Oregon 42 Cal 3
For West coast fans, this was a more humiliating loss…but since no one east of Nevada watches Pac-10 games unless they are on Thursday night…this game went unnoticed by most of the country. But Cal came in a 5.5 pt favorite and Oregon had lost to Boise St. and suspended their RB LeGarrette Blount. But Cal gets blown out and was not taken seriously the rest of the year (or since).

5. 2010 Nevada 52 Cal 31
By this time, Cal was no longer a program with any relevancy on a national level…but since this was a Thursday night game on ESPN…there was a national audience. Cal gets blown out by a better team. Nevada simply out-schemed, out-coached and out played the Pac-10 team. This game really cemented Cal current status as a mediocre football program

calbearclaw

BEAR FANS!

The fog of Rodgers is lifting and the wretched, unthinkable truth is now coming into focus.

Bizarre secrecy (closed practices), overt hostility towards the media, subtle intimidation disguised as sturdy benevolence, a bizarre attachment to sunglasses, repetitive propaganda, overstatement of achievement, a near cult like following, flagrant nepotism (his son was installed on the team), scared colleagues (Barbour), nefarious courtship of valuable foot soldiers (KA), all while living in a remote compound far from his people (Lafayette).

Tedford has become a bloated dictator.

Rise up Golden Bear faithful, rise up.

Kent Wilson

5 best Games in the Tedford Era. Again…I make these selections on games that boosted the reputation of the Cal football program nationally.

1. 2004 USC 23 Cal 17.
You may ask why do I pick this game as the most impactful game for Tedford when we lost? Well, because USC was (and is) the bellweather program in the west. On a national level, Cal gained tons of respect by playing USC tougher than any other team all year long. Cal dominated the Trojans on both lines of scimmages, outgained USC 424 to 205. Cal looked to be the stronger team and everyone who saw that game knew it. This game, more than any other the in recent history, legitimized the Cal football program as a potential contender for a national championship!

2. 2007 Cal 31 Oregon 24
Cal goes into Autzen Stadium and beat the Ducks in dramatic fashion by forcing a fumble near the goal line as Oregon was closing in on a game tying TD in the final seconds of the game. Cal demonstrated a tremendous will to win with a gutsy 4th qtr performance. Cal jumped to #2 in the rankings after this victory and seemed to finally get that signature win to put the program into national championship contention. Little did we know that Cal would endure one of the greatest collapses of any Cal team in the following weeks….but for a brief moment, Cal and Tedford were Kings of the Hill!

3. 2003 Cal 34 USC 31
Triple overtime thriller where Cal defeated national power USC. Teford showed great leadership when he pulled an ineffective Aaron Rodgers for Senior QB Reggie Robertson. Robertson rewarded Tedford, by playing the game of his life and he engineered one of the best upsets in Cal history.

4. 2003 Cal 52 Virginia Tech 49 Insight Bowl
Va Tech had a rebuilding year in 2003, but was still viewed as a nationally relevant program. Cal came in with zero credability as an up and coming program. Aaron Rodgers played an amazing game and positioned the Cal program as a potentially top team for the upcoing 2004 season.

5. 2006 Cal 45 Texas A&M 3 Holiday Bowl
This game restored some credibility for the Cal program. Cal had lost to Tennessee earlier in the year and also had lost decisively to highly ranked USC. Texas A&M was one of the few “quality” wins for the 2006 Cal team. Cal dominated this game on both sides of the ball and played like a top team in front of a national audience.

Honorable Mention
2009 victory over Stanford 34-28
2005 victory over Stanford 27-3
While beating Stanford is not nationally “relevant” event…but these were great victories over our arch rivals and offer great memories for all Cal fans.

http://beartalk bear4life

Manus you are oh so correct . Making excuses for your childs actions via it being bad only will make matters worst. JT stop with the excuses. people stop with the future recruits ready these negative post crap all they have to do is watch so stop being so week on the truth. WE SUCKED last week.

DB

Bridgford needs to start. It’s clear Zach is not a Pac 12 caliber quarterback, and if Keenan can’t deal with that…oh well. Nothing against the kid, you just can’t have a quarterback who has 5 turnovers in one game.

Bridgford needs to get some experience and a chance to see if he has the ability to be a Pac QB.